In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, coffee, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well blended.

Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and shape into two discs. Wrap in waxed paper and chill until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll out dough on a floured surface until 1/4-inch thick and cut out cookies with floured cookie cutters. Transfer cookies to parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.

Bake until just golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool and then decorate as desired. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate Almond Macaroons

Macaroons go great with just about anything and are always a festive holiday treat

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the sliced almonds evenly on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes, checking often to make sure the nuts aren't burning. Remove from oven. When nuts are cool, grind them finely in a food processor and set aside.

Gently melt the semisweet chocolate pieces in the top bowl of a double boiler. Whisk thoroughly when melted, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted. Slowly pour in the sugar and the vanilla and almond extracts. Continue beating until stiff peaks form, and the egg whites are thick and sticky.

Use a spatula to gently fold one-half of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. When just combined, carefully fold in one-half of the ground almonds. Repeat the process ending with the ground almonds.